Alan Corlin was so relaxed when he opened last Thursday’s School Board Candidates Forum in Council Chambers that he could have been perched on his favorite bench, laboring over one of the 75 flibberdy-gibbet gadgets that occupy a crucial corner of his life.
He had been nominated to make the case for the live audience and cable viewers for supporting Measure EE, the parcel tax.
Belatedly informed that no one was available to oppose EE, this afforded Mr. Corlin a chance dust off his jokester side. In his nifty one-man show, he deftly managed to play both roles, alternately. The crowd loved it.
Tall, elegant, flawlessly coiffed, tailored as if he were stopping by from his latest G.Q. assignment, watching him go to work was like pulling on last Saturday’s sox when Mr. Corlin strode to the podium.
Not that he smelled.
But his working presence served as comfort food for political observers. He was back home in Council Chambers where he spent two very high profile 4-year terms as a City Councilman until he was term-limited a year and a half ago.
Remember that timeline.
Whether alone or in a crowded setting, Mr. Corlin is a serious contender for smartest person in the room.
And if he isn’t, he may think so anyway.
So there.
Humble Pie Is Not on the Menu
It never has been necessary for Mr. Corlin to enroll in self-assertiveness training classes for good reason.
Although he has collected a covey of detractors, he is as smart, as insightful and as correct as he thinks he is most of the time.
This bothers more modest-thinking people. They argue that he blurs the thin gray line between pomposity and confidence.
Pal, if humility were his strength, he would be perched beside you on the sidelines, criticizing those who have run for office. Humble men run for cover, not office.
He is taller, dresses better and performs in a manner superior to 99 percent of his colleagues. No one out-researched him when he was on the Council. He communicates with such clarity they could name a glassware after him.
Since the turn of the century, with a single possible exception, Mr. Corlin has been the only quintessential professional Councilman in Culver City.
Blending flair and gravitas is a juggling act most Council members fail at — on one or both counts.
During his 8 years on the Council, no one surpassed him in any significant category. He worked avidly at being an effective delegate of the people.
Therefore, I propose that Mr. Corlin join another rare breed — the Councilman who is term-limited, sits out for the requisite two years, then returns to Council Chambers.
Contender Jeff Cooper already has signed up for next April’s race.
Wouldn’t it be intriguing for Mr. Corlin to double the field for the two seats that will be available next April?
